Reed dance for Zulu king is unlawful

Unfortunately it did not receive much prominence and I doubt if it will have the effect of what we want, namely an end to the “Reed dancing” for the Zulu king.

I am asking you to forward this letter or this post to the social media and to let your voice of protest be heard at the department of Arts and Culture. The English text of my original letter was as follows:

“I read with astonishment that the department of Arts and Culture has apparently approved the Zulu’s king’s plans to build a special place that will reportedly cost almost 1000 millions Rand to hold his annual Reed dance event. Some of the features of the facility involves special security measures that are apparently required to prevent girls being violated, especially after the dancing. Apparently this has happened in the past.

To be sure you understand: this is an event where young girls, mostly of minor age, are required to dance naked or half naked in front of “their King”. Despite numerous attempts by the King’s men to depict this event as ‘cultural’ it would be clear to anyone that it is not. Going back to the days of Jesus, we know that King Herod liked it to watch Salome dancing naked in front of him and we all know that in the end nothing good came of it….. People who believe in Christ know that evil will thrive if good men and women do nothing against it…..

In fact, I would go as far as to say that encouraging under aged girls to participate in such an event, either for the King’s pleasure, or even as some kind of ‘tourist’ attraction’ – as perhaps the department thinks it is – or for whatever purpose, e.g. striptease dancing, is strictly illegal, if it involves under aged girls, in terms of how I understand the law and our constitution. I am sure there are no exceptions to this rule, not even for a King or the Department of Arts and Culture.

I am amazed that in a time where we call for an end to the violence of girls and women and an end to sexism in general, we still have a department of Arts and Culture choosing to support the antics of the Zulu and Swazi kings and waste such an enormous amount of our tax money…..”